Howth Sunday Market - Awful?

Ernest

Had a look at Howth Sunday market today. I hadn't been there for ages and I was shocked by how much it had deteriorated since the last time I was there. It used to be located in the car park on the Fishing Pier side of the harbour and was pretty nice. Now its crammed into a tiny space in what used to be a petrol filling station next door to Wrights Findlater pub on the main road - reached by crossing a very busy traffic road. It has a few stalls mostly serving food, both cold and hot - including one called Hog Roast where there was no sign of any hogs being roasted - just the usual burgers being heated on electric plates. The overall shoddiness of the area generally was accentuated by a small restaurant on the main road outside which a prominent sign warns "toilets for use of customers only". Charming! Across the road next to the Dart station is another smaller "market" of unbelievable shabbiness. What has happened here? A Visit to the Howth Sunday Market used to be a pleasant day out, being located near the fish shops and fish restaurants and overlooking the fishing harbour, all adding to a general feeling of leisure. By removing the market from the fishing area it has taken away its charm and at least half of the trading stands I would guess. Its not as if Howth harbour area is short of space. If there was some principle that says a car park could not double once a week as a market, there is a ready-solution: right next to the fishing harbour car park is a huge flat grassy area that could easily hold the weekly market and revert to grassland the other six days.

tricky D

Using the harbour car park was unfeasable for 2 main reasons: so much traffic comes to Howth on a good weekend that those car spaces are really needed; and it's a working harbour, even on Sundays, with heavy machinery which the insurers and harbour autorities probably didn't like having around the public so much. There's also a current issue with rent increases which might affect the cost of using the car park.

Bear in mind that today is very much low season which wouldn't be as good as later months.

The small restaurant is quite within its rights to say no to non-customers. Why they should have to service non-customers which would cost them and spoil things for their paying customers with the comings and goings. Their business is close enough to the edge as it is.

As for the other market which is run by the Wrights, I wouldn't defend that one at all.

LeoB

Agree with OP here.

I would not call either a market. A few food stalls and a person selling jewellary was as much as I saw in the cramped space. I would have thought fresh veg, clothes,Tools, household goods etc would have been on sale, The one on the other side near the dart station was just as cramped. If they had a proper site it would probably help but as it is its not very good, IMO

Its more of a food fayre

Ernest

tricky D wrote: »

The small restaurant is quite within its rights to say no to non-customers. Why they should have to service non-customers which would cost them and spoil things for their paying customers with the comings and goings.

Quite right! Any restaurant is "quite within its rights" also to serve instant coffee with plastic spoons and use plastic seats if it wants to and to put up nasty unwelcoming signs warning people to stay away from their toilets. Its just that it looks terrible and sounds unfriendly and downright hostile to the family audience that Howth presumably would want to attract. The whole area near the Dart has become shoddy and seriously down-market and the sign just adds to this poor general ambience of the area.

Poster tricky_d says that the previous location for the market "using the harbour car park was unfeasable". The previous location was used for a long time and was quite feasible and very popular with the public. Presumably the harbour authorities would prefer not to have the bother of people coming into the area on Sundays getting in the way of the harbour's operational activities. However Howth is more than a fishing harbour - its also a leisure and tourist destination. Moving the previously successful Sunday market to the present unsatisfactory location has seriously diminished Howth as a leisure and tourist destination.

rubberdiddies

I have to agree with Ernest. Used to go to Howth many's a Sunday. I used to like the market when it was on in the car park, but since it moved I've only gone to it a couple of times. With the kids its too dangerous to cross that busy road.

Howth is still a lovely spot though

eviltimeban

I was put off the market when I once witnessed a vendor pouring shrimp out of a branded bag into one of his buckets - what, did he catch them and then put them into a plastic bag with pictures of shrimp on it like you'd buy in a shop?

Stheno

It's January, a lot of the stall holders are not participating.

There are a few staples, like the fruit and veg guy and the food stalls.

Compared to Dec. it's poor, I'd put that down to their not expecting much in terms of footfall in January

Usually I'd spend a good hour or more perusing the stalls, half an hour did it last week (I'd go there min. once a month)

However a bit further up past Findlaters there is a book and knickknack sale in the old courthouse (I think?) which is worth a browse

Never leave there without something.

I'd put a lot of the OP's opinions down to time of year

My heading out there tends to be:

Take the dog for a good bout of social interaction
Feed the seals
Check out the markets
Check the book sale
Tire out the dog on the green
Put dog in car
Go for lunch/dinner in Findlaters, admire purchases

Works for me

Lots more to Howth than just the markets, this time of year they are rubbish, but it's seasonal

cbreeze

I agree that the Howth Sunday market has gone way downhill - there was more space to browse the stall when it was in the more open area. The upside of the new set up is that the traffic is not as bad as it used to be getting away from the harbour area. The fudge place is still good.

hidinginthebush

Stheno wrote: »

Feed the seals

Feeding the seals is illegal now! Damn shame cos it used to be great craic, and you could get a big bag of fish for nothing from the shops there

Sophisticated

Had another lovely day in Howth yesterday.

Bought a few things at the market as usual but will definitely not be buying from the fruit and veg man again. I bought 3 punnets of strawberries, 'mini kiwis' and some veg. The strawberries looked ok but I made a BIG mistake. I didn't pick my own. I came home with 3 punnets of rotten stawberries and had to throw the lot of them out. Absolutely raging. To think that a guy can stand there and hand out such muck and rip me off maddens me.

Duggys Housemate

Sophisticated wrote: »

Had another lovely day in Howth yesterday.

Bought a few things at the market as usual but will definitely not be buying from the fruit and veg man again. I bought 3 punnets of strawberries, 'mini kiwis' and some veg. The strawberries looked ok but I made a BIG mistake. I didn't pick my own. I came home with 3 punnets of rotten stawberries and had to throw the lot of them out. Absolutely raging. To think that a guy can stand there and hand out such muck and rip me off maddens me.

My grandmother loved the coming of supermarkets and mini marts for that reason, she said non self service markets ( or shops) always ripped you off, keeping the best stuff for preferred customers.

I miss Howth at weekends now I am an emigrant.

Brazzer

I went out to Howth yesterday for a wander, it was around half 4 when we got there and I went to the market area, first time there but there was no fish for sale. Was I too late or when is the best time to go out and buy some fresh fish??

Dizzyblonde

You won't get fish in the market, did you go down the pier? That's where the fish shops and restaurants are.
When I was a child we used to go to Howth on a Thursday night to buy fish straight off the boat.

Cardinal Richelieu

Sophisticated wrote: »

Had another lovely day in Howth yesterday.

Bought a few things at the market as usual but will definitely not be buying from the fruit and veg man again. I bought 3 punnets of strawberries, 'mini kiwis' and some veg. The strawberries looked ok but I made a BIG mistake. I didn't pick my own. I came home with 3 punnets of rotten stawberries and had to throw the lot of them out. Absolutely raging. To think that a guy can stand there and hand out such muck and rip me off maddens me.

How much of that fruit and veg was local and Irish? Would you not be better buying it in a supermarket this time of year, at least you can get your money back.